


The Childhood Years (Already Grown Up)

by teabooksandchocolate



Series: We Must Break Before We Are Fixed (We Came Broken) [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-11
Updated: 2013-02-11
Packaged: 2017-11-28 23:54:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/680312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teabooksandchocolate/pseuds/teabooksandchocolate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The story of Andromeda Black, from her birth to the end of her time at Hogwarts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Childhood Years (Already Grown Up)

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings and triggers:  
> Child abuse (runs through most of the story)  
> Sexual assault (scene 10)  
> Abusive relationships (runs through most of the story)
> 
> Also, I tried my best to do research and make everything as British as possible, but I am American. If I made any mistakes, please let me know.

1.  
There is a new sister in her life, Mother tells her. Andromeda doesn’t quite understand. She is two, and now there is this baby, like her dolls. She likes her dolls. They don’t scrunch their face up and scream like this baby. Her dolls are smooth and white and pretty. The baby is red and angry. She isn’t sure she likes the baby.

She knows better than to tell Mother that. Instead, she goes to Bellatrix. Bellatrix is four, practically an adult. “Be-bella-tis, did you like me?” Bellatrix just pats her head and says, “Mine.” Andromeda doesn’t understand. She goes and plays with her dolls and tries to ignore the screaming of the baby and how Mother seems angry at the house elves for not keeping the baby quiet.

2.  
Andromeda doesn’t like the dress. It is stiff and scratchy and pink and frilly and she doesn’t like it. The house elves get her into it, but she hates it. She pulls at the bows, trying to make them more suitable. They don’t budge. She hates the dress. She remembers her scissors she used to make paper dolls. They are in her room. She goes and grabs the scissors and cuts every single bow off her dress. It is still stiff and scratchy and pink, but without the bows, she doesn’t feel like it wants to strangle her. The bows lie in a puddle on her floor.

Mother sees her. Mother’s eyebrows draw together. Andromeda doesn’t understand, Mother only looks at Bellatrix like that, when Bellatrix does something bad and will be punished. She didn’t do anything bad. “How dare you destroy your dress, you ungrateful brat!” Mother shrieks, pulling out her wand. Andromeda begins to cry. She didn’t do anything bad. Bellatrix is bad, not her. And then she hears her mother whisper the very bad word, the one that makes Bellatrix scream and scream and Andromeda is screaming because it feels like her body is being ripped apart, like hot needles are being stuck into her flesh, like someone is pulling all her hair out, like she is going to die. And then it stops.

“Did you learn you lesson? Five-year-old girls wear what their mothers tell them. They don’t get to decide.” Mother hisses. Andromeda can’t stop crying. The pain is gone, but she is scared. Is she bad like Bellatrix now? Mother snaps her fingers and a house elf comes and hurries Andromeda back to her room. She must stay there now and miss dinner. She doesn’t stop crying until she falls asleep.

3.  
Andromeda stares at herself in the mirror. She is a big girl today, dressed up in robes made just for her at Madame Malkins. They feel cool on her skin. She smiles, proud of how grown up she looks. Mother even let one of the house elves do her hair up in a beautiful knot that sits on her neck. This is her first party. She is going to make her parents so proud of her. She practices her smile in the mirror.

The party is full of glittering candles, instruments playing without musicians, witches in wizards in their finest robes. Andromeda follows Mother around, standing quietly by her side until directly addressed. Mother’s friends seem to like her, they tell Mother what a good girl she is. Andromeda is very proud. Bellatrix never gets complimented like that. Bellatrix is known for her spirit. Andromeda is going to be known for being good.

A boy about Bellatrix’s age in introduced to her. “Andromeda, this is Evan Rosier. You remember him, don’t you?” She nods shyly, smiling at him. Mother smiles at his mother. Andromeda sees a plot in Mother’s smile, but doesn’t dare ask what it is. “Evan, why don’t you and Andromeda dance together.” He leads her out onto the floor, hand a little too tight on her waist and hand. As they dance, he starts to squeeze even harder. She doesn’t say anything. She knows better. He’s testing her. He wants to see if she really is good. And Mother is watching. She will be good.

4.  
Bellatrix is going to Hogwarts today. Andromeda is consumed with jealousy, staring at her trunk packed full of books. Platform 9 ¾ is packed with people, but her family stands aside, near the Rosiers and the Malfoys. Evan is also starting Hogwarts today. Andromeda makes sure to smile at him. Mother notices and smiles. Andromeda is good, she tells herself. Make Mother happy.

Father helps Bellatrix pack her stuff in the compartment she will be sharing with Evan and Lucius. Lucius is a second-year, standing around bored as the mothers fuss over Evan and Bellatrix. Right before they get on, Mother looks at her and says, “Aren’t you going to give Evan a kiss goodbye?” Andromeda trots obediently over to him, whispers, “I’ll miss you, have a lovely year,” and kisses him on the cheeks. He squeezes her hand, so hard it hurt, but that is typical of him. She doesn’t show it hurts, and he kisses her cheek back. “Be good,” he says. Andromeda smiles. She is always good.

5.  
Andromeda is practically shaking with excitement. She doesn’t though, because Mother would be disappointed in her for showing such base emotions. Today, she is going to Hogwarts. Her trunk is packed. She trails her fingers over the battered leather. Mother wanted to buy her a new trunk, but Andromeda had found this one in the attic and fallen in love with it. And Mother was upset, but Father said it was his trunk from his Hogwarts days, so Andromeda got to keep it. The leather is deep brown and soft and there are scratches and it isn’t perfect but it is beautiful. Even better is what is inside, her brand new books on magic.

Father helps her load it into the train. She will be sharing a compartment with Bellatrix and Lucius and Evan. She feels like such a grown up. Bellatrix and Evan are third years, Lucius is a fourth year. She feels important sitting with them. She lets Mother and Father and Narcissa kiss her cheek, and then she follows her friends onto the train. Evan sits next to her and drapes his arm around her shoulders. She wishes he wouldn’t, but she is good, so she doesn’t say anything.

 

6.  
Andromeda likes the boat ride. She sits with some other family friends, all Purebloods in the boat, of course. She knew Bellatrix will punish her if she meets blood traitors. The lake is dark and she can imagine the squid and mermaids under the surface, watching her go by. And then Hogwarts appears, like a beacon, and she knew she is in the right place. She is finally going to learn about magic.

They listen to Professor McGonagall and then follow her into the Great Hall. She walks with her back straight and her head up, and from the corner of her eye, she sees Bellatrix smile with pride. She is good, she thinks to herself, very good. A boy and a girl are before her, and then Professor McGonagall is calling her name, and she walks over to the stool. The Sorting Hat feels different than a normal hat. It whispers in her ear, “In another world, you’d be a Ravenclaw, but not here.” And then it bellows to the room, “Slytherin!” Andromeda delicately removes the hat and places it on the stool, before walking over to her table. Evan makes room for her next to him, and she sits down. He squeezes her thigh, hard, and she worries about a bruise forming. “Good girl.”

7.  
Andromeda walks into her first class at Hogwarts, her uniform pressed and perfect, her hair neatly tucked into a bun, a smile on her face she can’t hide. She sits with the rest of the Slytherin girls, but there are five of them, so she sits at another table. They are chatting and giggling about how great Charms is going to be, “Mother has one charm that does her hair, do you think we’ll learn that?” and “My sister mentioned there are charms that do your makeup!” when Andromeda hears someone plop their stuff down next to her. She turns, and sees a sandy-haired boy with a smile stretching across his face.

“ ’ello there. I’m Ted Tonks.” He stretched out his hand and before she can stop herself, she reacts, shaking his hand even though she doesn’t know his surname and he must be a blood traitor or a mudblood, otherwise she’d know his surname, and Bellatrix is going to kill her, but she is shaking his hand and saying, “Andromeda Black, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” And his eyes are warm and brown and his smile is real and all she can think of is how Bellatrix is going to punish her for talking to him and the other girls are tittering behind her and she can’t talk to him, she can’t, so she turns her back on him and looks desperately at the other girls, begging them with her eyes to help her.

Class starts, but Andromeda is shaking slightly. They can’t see, but Ted can. He writes on the corner of his parchment, you all right, mate?, and pokes her and she looks and sees it and she pretends she doesn’t because she shouldn’t. He is bad and she is good, but by talking to him and shaking his hand, she has been bad. She hadn’t been bad in ages and ages and Bellatrix is going to kill her. She doesn’t tell him that he is bad. She doesn’t tell him he will get her punished. She just ignores him and waits for her punishment.

8.  
Bellatrix appears out of a shadowy corridor as Andromeda drags her feet back to her Common Room. She knows that Bellatrix will know by now. And then Bellatrix is in front of her, and Andromeda knows this is it, and she doesn’t know what to say, so she doesn’t say anything. “A mudblood spoke to you. And you replied.” Bellatrix is glaring at her, her wand drawn, and Andromeda can’t breathe and words just come spilling out, “I realized, but I just, it was instinctive, Mother taught us to be polite, I felt so dirty, he was a mudblood, I am so sorry, so sorry…” And she begins to cry. It doesn’t save her.

“At least she knows she was bad.” Evan appears next to Bellatrix. “Andromeda, I don’t like bad girls.” And a shiver runs down her spine because she knows Mother wants them to be married and she can’t ruin this, please don’t let her make Mother angry too. She chokes out another sorry, but then Evan raises his wand and all she feels is pain. And her nails are being ripped from her fingers and her muscles are being ripped from her bones, but she doesn’t scream because that is bad, she knows that. Once she gets through this, she will be good again. And there is a fire burning her and her mind is going cloudy and she is digging her nails into her palms and everything hurts, everything hurts, and she feels like she might die and it still doesn’t end and she just doesn’t know when it will end and she didn’t know the pain could last this long and she needs to scream, needs to, but she won’t because she knows that is bad.

But she can’t help the choked sob that escapes her lips, she barely knows it is happening because the pain is consuming her and it will never end and she can’t bear it. And then it is gone, like it never happened. Like it was never real. And Evan wraps his arms around her and squeezes her too tight and that hurts too, but he whispers to her, “You were so good, my good girl, I know you are sorry.” And she lets herself begin to cry.

9.  
Andromeda coasts through school. She understands magic, it settles down in her bones, so she gets bored. She reads through the library, everything she can get her hands on, history books and literature and science magazines. She gets perfect scores and Bellatrix smiles and Mother’s letters are full of praise. And then she goes to the library and gets another book. She reads about the Crusades and string theory and the persecution of witches in Elizabethan England.

She is friendly with the girls in her year, but they know she is not exactly like them. She is a Black, so pure that she is above them, and her husband is already picked out. It doesn’t help that she gets what they are taught, that is comes easily to her. It doesn’t come easily to them. There is always distance there, like looking across a room and seeing someone you know but not beginning to walk towards them.

By fourth year, she basically only talks to Bellatrix and Evan. She gossips with the girls in her year, but they aren’t friends. She doesn’t think about how Bellatrix and Evan are sixth years and leaving soon. She doesn’t think that OWLs will be harder than anything they’ve done yet, and signs up for a bunch, Potions, Transfiguration, Charms, Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, Herbology, and History of Magic.

 

10.  
Andromeda is having fun the summer before fifth year. She bought a bunch of books on various magical subjects and is reading them. Her parents are trotting her around at the social scenes, and all everyone talks about is how good she is. Even Bellatrix and Evan are smiling at her when they aren’t off with Tom Riddle. He is the dark spot on her summer, charming and handsome and she can’t bring herself to like or trust him. He feels repugnant, not in any quantifiable way. She wants to say his aura is off, but she doesn’t believe in that kind of nonsense.

And then, after a ball after one of Evan and Bellatrix’s meetings with Tom Riddle, Evan corners her in a hallway. He backs her up against the wall, and suddenly Andromeda is afraid. She can smell wine on his breath and he is too close and she tries to get away, “Evan, Mother is waiting for me, I must---” But he cuts her off by grabbing her wrist and pinning it above the wall. His other hand reaches out to trace the neckline of her robes, lower than any of her previous ones, showing off the swell of her breasts. She had loved it when she tried it on, as she smiled in the mirror and felt like a grown-up.

But now she feels like a child, shaking and tears welling up in her eyes. “Don’t cry, be a good girl,” he tells her. And she tries so hard, as he paws at her with one rough hand. She has never been so scared in her life. She hopes he will go away soon, but she needs to be good and she doesn’t say anything. Eventually, he releases her wrist to grasp at his crotch, and she keeps her hand where he pinned it, too scared to move. Finally, finally, he groans and pats her on the head. “There’s my good girl.” He walks away without a second glance.

Andromeda holds it together until she gets home, and then breaks down in tears in her bedroom, not really knowing why. She makes sure she is never alone with Evan after that.

11.  
Andromeda walks into her Arithmancy class, excited to start the real stuff. She has done so much reading on it, she taught herself calculus for this, and she can’t wait to start truly playing with the numbers. But as she looks around the room, she doesn’t see any Slytherins. She thought one of the boys would be taking it, at least. She knew none of the girls were. They were all taking fluffy classes, like Charms and Divination, filling their heads with froth and waiting to be a wife and mother. She despairs of them.

So she takes a seat near the front and waits. She grabs one of the library books she already borrowed, never mind that it’s the first day of classes and OWLs year, all about chemistry. She gets absorbed in it, not noticing more people trickling in, until the crash of books next to her shakes her out of her concentration. It’s a young man with sandy hair and a small smile, and she flashes back to her first year and goes, “Ted Tonks, right?” She doesn’t mean to say anything, and immediately worries about Bellatrix knowing, but there are no Slytherins here, and Ravenclaws and Gryffindors won’t rat her out. No one seems to particularly like Bellatrix, she has noticed. She thinks that will buy more silence than regard for her would.

He is quiet for a moment, before smiling a bit more and saying, “Andromeda Black?” She nods, suddenly unsure of how to act. Mother never taught her how to interact with mudbloods. “Whatcha reading?” He asks, tilting his chair back. He looks so carefree, she thinks, his hair falling into his face and obscuring his eyes.

“Oh, just, chemistry stuff.” His eyebrows shoot up. “See, I’ve read a bunch about biology and physics, and I thought it would be interesting to see if chemistry has influence on potion-making, even if physics and magic basically contradict each other, like conservation of matter? Pff.” She babbles, stopping when she sees his eyebrows rise. “What? I’m not some dumb Slytherin girl.” He smiles at her, wide and real and it feels like sunshine. “I see that.”

12.  
The professor whirls into class, his grey hair sticking up on all ends. Andromeda always thinks of him as the magical version of Einstein. He begins to go over the course, talking about the properties they will be studying and the projects they will be doing. Andromeda feels her stomach drop when he announces, “Well, I hope you can tolerate who you are sitting next to, because you have a research project with them. It’ll be due before Christmas break.”

Andromeda can’t tell him that her sister will punish her if she works with a mudblood. She knows that the school supports equality for all blood types. How can she tell Ted? She knows by now that the Cruciatus curse is highly illegal. She can’t tell him it is the typical punishment in her family. She begins to shake again. She should’ve moved when he sat down next to her. She shouldn’t have spoken to him. What is she going to do?

As she is packing up to leave class, Ted says, “The Hufflepuff Common Room is a great place to study, right by the kitchens. No one minds if other people are in there, and there won’t be prying eyes.” Andromeda looks at him, knowing the relief is shining through in her body. “Sounds perfect. I’ll get some books and go to the kitchens at eight tonight. Just be outside waiting for me?” He nods. Andromeda thinks she might be able to get away with this.

13.  
About two months into the project, Andromeda realizes she is finding reasons to linger in the Hufflepuff Common Room, with is warm yellow walls and comfortable chairs. It is so different from her Common Room, murky and green and strictly formal. She feels like she is part of a family here, like she can relax and let her guard down. She doesn’t, of course, but she feels like she can for the first time in her life. 

No one seems to mind her being in their space either. She can sit here, even after they are done with their research, and do her other work, and they don’t mind. Bellatrix doesn’t watch her so closely that she can’t disappear for a few hours under the guise of studying. Ted doesn’t say anything about how careful she is, and she appreciates it. She wonders if this is what happiness feels like, the hours she spends in here. But she is afraid to ask. Surely, normal people don’t have to constantly worry about being good and not getting punished. But maybe they do. She doesn’t know. She is afraid to ask.

14.  
Not long after her realization, Andromeda and Ted are studying again. Their project is coming along really well. She keeps finding instances of various cultures around the world, both magical and Muggle, who use the property and Ted is doing a lot of the organizing of the information. “Does it bother you that I stay here after we are done with the project for the evening?” She feels surprised hearing herself ask. But she needs to know. She feels like she is imposing on his hospitality. “I would never begrudge you a place where you are less afraid.” His smile is kind. Andromeda is afraid to ask how he knows. And there she goes, being frightened again, she thinks angrily. She shouldn’t be constantly afraid, she is a Black, she is good. But she is.

“Once… once Evan and Bella leave, it’ll be better.” She finds herself saying. She doesn’t know why she says it. “Once they leave, no one will care what I do and I’ll be safe. I just,” she cuts herself off. “You didn’t need to know that.” She forces a smile. She doesn’t say that she is scared of being alone in Slytherin because Evan is there and she is afraid he’ll corner her again. She doesn’t say how oppressive Bellatrix’s standards are and how badly she will be punished for failing to meet them.

“Andromeda, it isn’t normal to be afraid all of the time.” Ted hasn’t taken his eyes off her once. Suddenly, Andromeda is angry, rage bubbling under her skin, burning over the fear. “Like, you know what is normal for this world,” she bites out. She is surprised by viciousness in her voice. She sounds like Bellatrix. She doesn’t know what Ted sees in her face, but he doesn’t say anything else, just reaches across and pats her hand.

15.  
Even though they don’t have a group project after Christmas break, Ted continues to invite Andromeda to study in Hufflepuff. She does, silently sitting across from and working. She starts to chat with him when she needs a study break. She tells him about how she wants to be a Healer, how she can’t stand the idea of being just a wife and mother. He tells her about his childhood, about the Muggle world. He tells her about the bands he likes. She talks about how music was never a large part of her life growing up, except for the bands that play at social events. Astounded, Ted grabs his record player from his room. It shouldn’t work here, he explains, but he Charmed it to work. He plays the Beatles for her and Simon and Garfunkle and the Jackson 5. The songs get stuck in her head and she has to work to keep from humming them when she is around the Slytherins.

She talks to him about the reading she does on the side, how she teaches herself Muggle science and math. He talks about his father, who is a professor of biology at a university. In March, he presents her with the introductory biology textbook. He had his father send it. Andromeda tears up, “No one ever… I can’t… Thank you.” She can’t find the words to explain that no one has ever done something like this for her. No one has ever cared about her own interests before. She has always had to be who Mother wants her to be, who Bellatrix wants her to be, who Evan wants her to be. She worries why Ted sticks with her. She doesn’t have anything to give back to her. It eats away at her. He wouldn’t want what she could offer, the Dark spells she knows, that her family knows.

In April, she begins to review for the OWLs. He revises with her. He doesn’t take Runes, but she doesn’t take Care of Magical Creatures. Otherwise, they have all the same classes. She studies intensely, staying up until one in the morning most nights. She usually leaves Hufflepuff around ten, but she knows Ted knows she studies much later. He watches her as they study, tsking over the bags that develop under her eyes. She babbles spells and theories at him, a frantic terror running through her veins.

Finally, the OWLs come. She takes all nine of hers, exhausted and scared. The night before her last exam, she says goodbye to Ted for the summer. She realizes that they probably are friends. She isn’t sure how she feels about that. She has never had a friend before. She thinks he’ll drop her over the summer. She can’t give anything to him and he has given her so much. She thinks it will hurt when he leaves. She doesn’t consider he will stay.

16.  
She returns to Hogwarts, cowed from a summer of social events and her parents’ watchful eyes. Her skin crawls with the way they paraded her around, in deep green robes to set off her pale skin and dark hair and grey eyes. She doesn’t let herself think about how Evan’s gaze had fixed on her breasts. Her parents always chose plunging robes that were fitted to emphasize the curves that she was gaining. As she settles into her dorm in Slytherin, she thinks longingly of warm yellow walls and soft chairs. She wonders if she’ll look back on her life and realize that fifteen was when she was happiest.

Arithmancy is the only class she has without Slytherins, and is the last first class of the year. He doesn’t acknowledge her in her other classes. She tells herself he didn’t last year either. He knew how dangerous their friendship is. Was, she thinks, how dangerous their friendship was. She settles into a desk for Arithmancy with a heavy heart. She waits for him to brush by her, to sit next to that pretty Ravenclaw, Marlene McKinnon, with her rosy cheeks and dimples and easy smile. He wouldn’t want to stay friends with the icy Slytherin who can’t even smile at him in the halls.

She watches him walk in, his hair even floppier than last year. She didn’t think that was possible. She steels herself for him to walk pass her, not even a flicker of recognition in his eyes. But, he plops his books down next to her, sits down and tilts his head back, and says, “Nice to see ya. How was your summer?” And Andromeda’s heart flutters and she realizes in a panic that she likes him. Not just as a friend, but she wants to hold his hand while walking around Hogsmeade. She wants to kiss him. And she has never been more terrified in her life.

 

17.  
Andromeda and Ted fall into the same pattern as last year. They study together at night in the Hufflepuff Common Room. But, instead of ignoring him in the hallway, she chances smiles at him every now and again. The smile she gets in return, wide and bright, always makes her day. Bellatrix and Evan are gone. She knows they are too busy with Tom Riddle, who is insisting on calling himself some ridiculous French name, and his intense purity campaign to be bothered about her actions. It is gaining traction among the Slytherins. She knows her aunt and uncle are putting a lot of pressure on Sirius and Regulus to join when they are older. So, the week before the first Hogsmeade weekend, she screws up her courage.

“You excited for the first Hogsmeade weekend?” She asks Ted, as they are working on NEWTs work one night. She keeps her voice deliberately casual. He shrugs. “Eh, I guess. I do want to get some candy, but, besides that…” Andromeda can feel her heart pounding in her ears as she says, “I haven’t had butterbeer in ages, and it is getting pretty cold. Want to meet up at the Three Broomsticks and get some?” Her hands are shaking, so she clasps them in her lap. She thinks she might faint or throw up or be swallowed by the earth.

There is silence. Andromeda readies herself to grab all her books and hurry out. She hates herself. She’s ruined the only good thing she’s got. She can feel the silence, heavy and angry and shameful. “Are… are you asking me to Hogsmeade?” Ted’s voice sounds choked. She can’t bring herself to look at him as she nods. She should have known not to ask. Isn’t she supposed to be good and smart? How could she mess this up? She feels tears prick at her eyes. She bites her lip to keeps from crying.

“I would love to.” Andromeda whips her head up to stare at Ted. A big goofy grin crosses his face. She feels one start to grow on her own. “Really? You would?” Her voice sounds small to her. “Yeah, I really would.” She suddenly can’t keep looking at him. Her smiles feels too big and it hurts and she is giggling and she realizes with a start that this, this, is what happiness feels like.

18.  
She’s giggling as they hide behind the Three Broomsticks. It’s time to head back to Hogwarts, but she doesn’t want to. She wants to stay here forever, hidden behind a screen in the Three Broomsticks with Ted, chatting and smiling and laughing. She’s never been this happy in her life. Recklessly, she thinks she’s never been happy before she met Ted. There is snow softly falling and Ted’s hand is warm on her waist and she finally feels sixteen and carefree and beautiful.

And then he is leaning in and kissing her and she feels like the ground is falling away and she clings to him. When he pulls away, she wishes it could go on forever. She is every cliché, but in the moment, she understands why the clichés are carried on. They look at each other for a moment. “We should date,” Ted says. “It would have to be a secret. If my family found out, they would kill you.” Andromeda whispers. Ted just laughs. “No, Ted, they would kill you. Do you know how they punish me?” Andromeda hisses, needing to hammer this point home. “They use the Cruciatus Curse. If they are willing to do that to me, they would have no problem killing you. Especially since they’ve been maneuvering me towards marrying Evan since I was eight.”

Ted’s eyes are full of warmth and pity and care and he pulls her in and kisses her again. “No one needs to know.” Andromeda settles into his arms for a moment. Then, he kisses the top of her head. “Now, let’s get back to school.”

19.  
Andromeda feels the change in Bellatrix and Evan when she returns home for Christmas break. They’ve been spending almost all their time with Tom Riddle, who is still going by that French name. He’s even staying at the family home, all darkly handsome and charismatic and repulsive. Every time she enters a room that he is in, she can feel the hair on her neck stand on end. There is something very wrong with him, something sick and twisted, but she is the only one who can see it.

Bellatrix is more manic than ever, speaking louder and faster and Mother doesn’t say anything because Tom Riddle is nodding in approval. He set Bellatrix up with Rodolphus Lestrange a few months ago. They married quickly, not wanting to devote their attention to anything that wasn’t Tom Riddle. Andromeda didn’t even get to attend. Bellatrix was always spirited, always burned with conviction, but now all she can speak of is how blood traitors and mudbloods must be destroyed. Andromeda bites her tongue and doesn’t argue, agrees quietly and demurely while Mother smiles in approval.

Evan keeps trying to get her alone. She knows what will happen if he gets her alone. His eyes are full of predatory intent, a look she sees reflected in Tom Riddle’s eyes when he looks at Bellatrix and Rodolphus. She knows if she stays in the same room as Tom Riddle and lets him lecture her, Evan won’t drag her away. She bites the bullet and lets her skin crawl and the bile rise in her throat.

She attends soiree after soiree. Each time she wears the new robes Mother gives her, always deep green and low cut. Finally, for the final ball of the Christmas season, she gets a different color robe. It is pale grey with silver lacework around the edges. She loves it, looks in the mirror and loves they way her eyes seem to glow. Mother adds rouge to her cheeks and has her apply red lipstick. As she looks in the mirror, Andromeda feels like she has never looked better.

The dance is lovely, the music swirling around her as she dances with Evan, his hand heavy on her waist, squeezing so tightly she knows it will bruise. At midnight, the music stops and the dance floor clears, but Evan keeps her in place, a heavy hand on her waist. He kneels down slowly, producing a small box out of nowhere. Andromeda can feel her stomach drop as Evan says, “Andromeda Celeste Black, will you marry me?” She says yes and the room bursts into applause and she sees Mother beaming and Tom Riddle is watching her and she feels like her life is ending and the glittering ring on her finger feels like it weighs a thousand pounds.

 

20.  
When Andromeda gets back to school, all the Slytherin girls fawn over her. They coo over her ring and its three-carat diamond. She deliberately avoids making eye contact with Ted in the halls, even though she can feel his eyes on her. She sits in her normal seat in Arithmancy, leaving her left hand resting on the desk. The light reflected by the diamond sparkles around the classroom. When Ted sits down, she can feel his eyes take it in. He doesn’t say anything and she refuses to say anything and as class goes on his back gets stiffer and stiffer.

She tries to rush out with the rest of the class, but he grabs her arm. She waits, packing up her bag slowly. She doesn’t have any other classes today, nothing to do or go to. Except to get away, to avoid the scene she knows will follow. They meander to the Hufflepuff Common Room, springing apart when a Slytherin comes near. Finally, in the safety of his House, he asks her, “What is on your finger?” He is bristling and she can’t tell if she wants to cry or feel nothing at all.

“My engagement ring.” Andromeda wants to say more, but the truth is the best way to make him leave her. And she knows they have to break up, despite the happiness he brings her. She is officially someone else’s now, there is no way he’d want her. Despite the fact she knows marrying Evan will be the beginning of the end for her, will mean a life of too tight embraces and too rough touches and too many babies. She knows that after her marriage, she will be counting down the days until her death, hoping it comes soon and despairing of a witch’s long life.

“Yes, I can see that. It’s disgustingly pretentious. I thought we were together. Why the fuck are you engaged?” Ted says. He isn’t yelling. She wishes he would. She is used to yelling. His voice is calm. “What, did you expect my family to just leave me be? I’m not supposed to have a career. I’m supposed to get married and have babies and do the season and host parties. My fiancé and I have been pushed together since I was eight and he was ten. This was inevitable. I tried to distract myself from my impending loveless, and probably abusive, marriage with you. But it’s not like I could actually marry you. I’m a Black, one of the few truly pureblood, and you are a---”

“If you say mudblood, I don’t know what I will do.” Ted’s voice is ice cold. “I don’t care how much I care about you, you say that and you and I are over.” And Andromeda wants to say it, wants him to rage at her and leave her and make it so she doesn’t have this light in her life that illuminates how awful the rest of it is. She said the words enough over break. She can do it now. “You are… you are just a… just…” She tries to say it, conjuring up memories of repeating the word diligently back to Tom Riddle easily. “Cat got your tongue?” Ted taunts. 

“You are a filthy little mudblood!” She feels the tears begin streaming down her cheeks. “Mudbloods are practically animals. You dishonor the supremacy of magic.” She is sobbing, she feels sick, but she says the necessary words. She can see Tom Riddle smiling in her memories at her diligent responses to him. Ted’s hurt shows in his posture and expression. “Get out of my House,” he says.

She leaves, wiping her eyes in the Kitchen. She collapses in there, sobbing. She doesn’t want this. She never did. But she had no choice with Evan. She wishes she could’ve married Ted, wishes she could have a life with love and happiness. But love and happiness don’t belong in her life. She is a Black.

21.  
Andromeda isn’t sure how long she sits in the kitchen, sobbing. When her tears putter out, the house elves edge near her, with a steaming hot cup of chamomile tea. She sips it, letting it burn her mouth. She doesn’t move. The house elves bring her a perfectly cooked steak and roasted potatoes and chocolate mousse. She eats it all, not tasting it. She asks for more tea, trying to warm herself, get herself to feel human again.

The door to the kitchen slides open, and she ducks her head so no one will see her red-rimmed eyes. “What are you doing here?” She jerks her head up at Ted’s voice. She stares at him, his eyes as red as hers. “Trying to feel human?” Her voice is wavering and pathetic sounding to her own ears. “You’re not human, you’re a bitch.” He snaps back. “I’m sure my fiancé will be calling me that soon too. You two have that in common. At least you’ve never bruised me, so I guess you have the moral high ground.” She tries to sound angry, but she just sounds resigned.

“He left bruises? What? How?” Ted suddenly is kneeling by her side. “Like you care. I’m just a bitch, right?” Andromeda can hear the anger beginning to shine through in her voice. “I shouldn’t, but god, Andromeda, even right after hearing you call me a Mudblood, I--- I love you. That’s not going to go away soon. And you’ve basically normalized the abuse in your life. If he leaves bruises, that isn’t healthy.”

Andromeda just glares at him. “If you actually loved me, you’d know I’d never willingly get engaged to anyone else, I’m not a philanderer. You were just as bad as Evan in there, getting jealous and possessive. You have known about him for ages. I told you about him on our first date, for Merlin’s sake. Is it a surprise to you I wasn’t exaggerating? You have known about how my family treats me for ages. Is it a surprise to you that my future husband will inevitably treat me the same way? Then fuck you if you couldn’t believe me.” Her hands are shaking, white-knuckled around her mug.

“Yeah, I reacted badly. But I thought you might choose not to go down that path. Andromeda, you have a choice. You don’t have to be Andromeda Black. You can be Andromeda, the girl who got to know me, a muggleborn, even though it was dangerous. You were willing to take the risk before! But, I bet you think mudblood when you mean muggleborn. You were raised to hate me and can’t move beyond it. What happened to let you move past that, even if it wasn’t permanent? Did your engagement scare you back into being hateful?” Ted rages.

“I am Andromeda Black. I got to know you because you sat next to me. Sure, I could have moved, but that would’ve been an issue with the professor. I would’ve gotten in more trouble for drawing attention to my upbringing than ignoring it. And yes, my engagement scared me. Who doesn’t get scared at the thought of being abused for the rest of their life? In some other world I would be a Ravenclaw, the Hat said, and free to choose who to spend my time with and who to befriend and to rebel against my upbringing. But not here. I’m not Sirius, I’m not a rebel in this world. He has chosen to be someone besides a Black, he’s a Gryffindor, but I can’t. I am a girl, he is a boy and has more freedom. I am trapped in this.” Andromeda says. Her hands are hurting from gripping her mug so tightly.

“Don’t be so melodramatic. You could leave, you’re just scared. Do you really want to be that person? Then find a way out. You taught yourself calculus and chemistry and biology and physics! You can figure out how to get away from your family.” Ted said. “You act as if you are incapable. Do you realize how far that is from the truth? You are capable. You think you are worthless because that is how everyone else has treated you. And if you push me away because I’m the only person who doesn’t, that is your fault.”

“Of course I am capable. But I have no money, no way to escape. If I did rebel, my family would bring me in, force me into compliance. I need help to get out, and sorry if I am doubting the guy who got jealous of the arrangement my family has been spinning around me for most of my life to help me.” Her grip shatters the mug in her hand, cutting her, blood starting to gush up. “See this blood? This is blood that has been carefully bred from only the finest families. You think I have power? My power comes from my mind and my family’s connections, most of which were made through marriages. Women are pawns, we always have been. And the only way I had for escaping was you, and I don’t trust you right now.”

The house elves run over to treat her hand and clean up the mess. “Andromeda, if you want out, it’ll be hard. You will have to suffer. But you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. You have no idea what suffering is like. How much of thinking you will be unable to leave is just fear of loosing what you have grown accustomed to?” Ted throws his hands up in the air. “You are afraid of leaving and afraid of staying. Wow.”

“What I’ve grown accustomed to? Yes, being constantly in fear for even the slightest mistake because I know it will result in the Cruciatus is something I have grown accustomed to and fear leaving. Yes, being shown off like a prize pony in expensive robes that I can’t even pick for myself and having my fiancé try to get me alone so he can fondle me how he chooses and ignore me is something I have grown accustomed to and fear leaving. You have as many prejudices about me as I have about you, you’ve never suffered either, Mr. Middle Class with parents who are highly intelligent.” Andromeda glares. “My family has money, yes, but I don’t get to touch it. They buy everything for me. If I displeased them enough, they could refuse to feed me. I have nothing. My parents are the ones with power. I have nothing.”

“Then why didn’t you ask me for help? Why didn’t you try to make something? You orchestrated today in a way that you knew was going to push me away. You ignored me, you flaunted your ring. Why did you want me out of your life? Why didn’t you make me an ally? Do you even think of asking for help?” Ted sighs.

Andromeda freezes. “I… I never even considered you’d do that.” She looks at him in confusion. “I’m marked as someone else’s now. Why would you want to help me? Why would you even want me? It just seemed logical that you’d leave.”

Ted inches closer, his body screaming his movements. He slowly, almost glacially, wraps his arms around her. “I am not going to throw you out when times get tough. If you need me, I will be there. Just… don’t use that word, the M one. You don’t trust anyone, do you? Can we try again? But this time, communicate with me. Don’t just assume how I am going to act.”

“I… I guess.” Andromeda leans into his embrace. “Trust is hard. No one’s ever proven worthy of it before. It has always been me. But, I’ll try.”

22.  
The school year finishes quietly. Andromeda grips Ted’s hand in the bathroom of the Hogwarts’ Express. “I’ll find a way to write you, you know. You won’t be alone with them, okay? I won’t let you be.” He kisses her forehead before she slips out the door, going back to her Slytherin compartment. She readies herself for a summer of misery. She spends half her waking hours planning her wedding to Evan with Mother. If by planning, it is just agreeing with Mother, she thinks bitterly. The other half is spent waiting for a letter from Ted. He Charms them to look like various magazines and newspapers, and she mutters the countercharm alone in her room, late at night. She reads each letter a thousand times, always sure to Charm it back after she is done.

She writes back to him. She tells him of how Mother is pushing for a wedding right after graduation. How the plan is to parade her like a prize bull since Bellatrix didn’t have a society wedding and besmirched the family honor. She writes about how Bellatrix and Evan seem to be growing more evil with every second they spend with Tom Riddle. She refuses to write the name is going by, that god awful French name that has finally gotten off the ground. She writes about how Bellatrix is even more crazed than ever and how Mother has given up taming her. She writes about how she has bruises all over her body from where Evan grips her. She writes about how Narcissa has seemingly retreated into herself and spends half her time doting on Lucius Malfoy, despite a five year age difference, and how Lucius and Mother have noticed.

She doesn’t feel alone. Ted listens and offers her support. In the middle of July, she catches herself daydreaming about running away to Ted’s family, where they sing protest songs as they do chores and debate politics and music and literature. The dreams of that take up much of her time planning her wedding, as she imagines Ted’s family. His father would have the same kind eyes as Ted, but a softer jaw and more grey in his hair. She pictures his mother a plump woman with Ted’s smile and her dirty blonde hair in a bun. She doesn’t tell him that she also daydreams about being his wife and raising children with him. She wants a huge family, five or six kids, so they never feel alone like she did.

23.  
The second day of classes, Andromeda and Ted meet up in the Hufflepuff Common Room. But, instead of staying there like every time before, Ted guides her to his dormitory. His hand is warm on the small of her back, and she savors the small touch after the months where the only goodness was the image of him in her mind and his letters. They kiss, hands wandering. Andromeda loves it, loves the feeling of him learning her again, mapping the changes since the last time they touched. She’s thinner now, her hair is longer, and her eyes more shadowed.

She maps Ted as well, feeling the new muscle from playing sports with his family. She slides her hands up his back, under his shirt, feeling the patches of peeling skin from sunburns. “I missed you.” She whispers it to his shoulder. He whispers it back to her hair. They move slowly towards the bed. Andromeda can’t help the rush of excitement as he whispers, “This okay?” and she murmurs assent as he slides her shirt off. He asks her for each article of clothing, until she is lying naked in his bed with the curtains draw shut. He asks her for each article of his clothing, until he is just as naked above her. He triple checks before sliding a finger in her. And then suddenly it’s a frenzy and their bodies are moving together and she’s biting his shoulder to keep from screaming or sobbing or laughing and he is gasping above her and whispering her name with this tenderness she can’t begin to fathom and then it’s just sensation and wonder.

24.  
“Andromeda, will you run away with me and marry me and be my wife and friend?” Ted asks, trailing his fingers over her stomach. They are still naked, cuddling in his bed, muscles limp. And he doesn’t have a ring or an audience watching her. He doesn’t want to use her for her body or possess her for her last name. He wants her, her personality and her brain and he’ll love her even when she is old and wrinkled.

“Yes. Oh god, yes!” She says, rolling around to face him. She begins to laugh, full of happiness and lightness. Ted wants to marry her, wants her to run away with him, want to be part of her life and for her to be part of his. She says yes over and over until he covers her mouth with his and kisses her. They quickly fall back into the frenzy of touch.

“We’ll need help, you know,” she whispers to him later, when they are once again done and cuddling. He nods. “We’ll need a professor on our side to help us plan.” He kisses her shoulder. “Later. We can plot later. Let’s enjoy it now.” And she goes quiet and snuggles her back closer to his stomach.

25.  
Andromeda and Ted brainstorm professors that could help them. They immediately discard Professor Slughorn, her Head of House. “Can you imagine his face, the little social climber,” Andromeda says, “if I told him I was giving up my place in society to run away with a Muggleborn?” They both laugh, imagining the shock on his face. Ted suggests his Head of House, the absent-minded Professor Lightsworth, and they consider him. He is smart and kind and trustworthy. “But can he do it? Can he get us away? We need someone with drive, with conviction, who will get stuff done.” Ted just shrugs, before his eyes light up. “What about McGonagall? She is tough and practically made of strength.” Andromeda laughs at herself, “How did I not think of her immediately? She keeps Sirius in line!”

They sneak to her office the next day, ready to talk through their plan with her. McGonagall takes one look at them as they enter her office, before waving her wand and raising her wards. “We can talk and no one will be able to hear us. Judging by the furtive looks on both your faces, that is a necessity.” She says brusquely, offering them ginger cookies as they sit. “What can I do for you two?”

Andromeda takes a deep breath. “We want to elope. However, since my family would definitely be opposed to that, we’ll need to go into some sort of hiding. Right now, we think attending university in the Muggle world will give us the discretion necessary. Additionally, since Ted’s father is a professor, he can get us in with lower tuition rates at his college. I’d be getting my Bachelor’s of Education and go into primary school teaching. Ted is planning to go into business. That way, we will be relatively nondescript, a teacher and her businessman husband.” Ted is smiling at her, clearly entertained by her businesslike approached to explaining this. She scrunches her nose up at him.

“So, you’ll need me to plant GSCEs information in the system. Are you ready to take the A-levels? Andromeda, Madame Pince enjoys bragging about your voracious reading habits, so you might not have an issue with it. Ted?” They both nod, having already started to prepare. “What subjects are you each planning to take?”

Ted speaks up, “Well, I am planning on business studies, communication and culture, economics, and accounting. Andromeda is thinking about taking English language, history, mathematics, and psychology. Mine should show my commitment to business and hers show that she is well rounded and suited to teaching a wide range of subjects.”

“Well, you two certainly have thought this out. Normally, I’d worry about students so young eloping, but you two have clearly put thought into it. And in private with you two, I can clearly see the affection you have for each other. I think you two will be fine. Now, normally, I’d have to inform the headmaster of plans to help students get Muggle education status, but I won’t for you, Andromeda. If you haven’t spoken to him, you don’t trust him. Now, while I trust Albus Dumbledore with my life, I won’t force you to reveal your plan to anyone. Loose lips sink ships and all that.” Andromeda tries to express her thanks, but even as she opens her mouth to try to find the right words, McGonagall speaks again, “Don’t thank me. I’m doing my duty. You’ll understand when you are a teacher.” She smiles, genuinely, the first one Andromeda has ever seen her give. “I’ll get to work immediately on your GSCEs. I’ll be giving you grades that line up with your OWL scores. Luckily, you two did magnificently.” She tips her head, dismissing them.

As Ted and Andromeda leave, they exchange huge smiles. “Well, our life together is starting,” Andromeda smiles at Ted as she says it. He laughs, “You went into that like it was a battle. It was wonderful to watch.” He leans in and kisses her nose. She shoots him a smile and then walks off back to her Common Room.

26.  
Andromeda and Ted continue to meet with McGonagall, sneaking into her office and getting updates on her planting their existence in the system. It’s easier for Ted, who attended a Muggle primary school. He even has friends from there still. It’s harder for Andromeda, creating a whole history for her, especially since her family technically doesn’t even exist in Muggle records. She helps McGonagall plot and plan. They manipulate the system delicately, like they are a team in an important game of chess. Ted has his family help out in the Muggle world where they can.

It’s a delicate process, and Ted and Andromeda see each other less and less as they both study manically for the NEWTs and A-levels. Andromeda insinuates herself into the group of Slytherin girls, seemingly an excited bride-to-be. She masks her true plans by throwing herself into wedding preparations, receiving money from her family and skimming little bits off and saving it.

Her family doesn’t notice a few galleons here and there going missing. She also begins to sell off some of her family jewelry, gold and sparkling gems, through Ted’s family, starting a Muggle bank account in her name. She’s intent on building a Muggle persona for herself, begins purchasing things in her own name, a record here and a book there, building her name in companies’ ledgers. It’s going well, still a secret in Hogwarts, and she and Ted begin to relax.

27.  
Ted and Andromeda are hidden in a little nook in a hallway, arms wrapped around each other. They had meant to just simply exchange some notes on the progress made in each of their plans. But Andromeda was reporting on how she has begun to build a paper trail for herself and applying for loans, her face intense and concentrating, and Ted just leaned in and kissed her. She smiled into it, before play shoving him away. “Listen to me, you great buffoon. Otherwise, how’ll we ever elope?”

Ted wraps his arms around her waist. “I’m sure you’ll think up a plan, no matter what I mess up.” He laughs, nuzzling at the top of her head. She giggles into his shoulder. “My Andromeda, the smartest, the bravest, the best planner---”

“And my cousin.” Andromeda throws herself away from Ted, before turning to see Sirius, smirking with the power of a mischievous twelve year old. “So, what’s going on here?” Andromeda realizes she has no idea if Sirius will be on her side. Yes, he is a Gryffindor and friends with blood traitors, but what if he tells? She stays far from Ted, suddenly wary and unsure. She has never trusted her family, and can’t bring herself to start now, when so much is at stake.

“Sirius, I know you can keep a secret, right?” Ted looks at Sirius. Sirius nods vigorously. “You know how Evan Rosier is a scumbag who will definitely hurt Andromeda once they get married?” Again, Ted pauses and Sirius nods in agreement.

“I’d call him a few more choice words myself, but I’ll spare the lady’s ears.” He says, winking at Andromeda. She rolls her eyes at him. “But, yeah. Especially since he’s been hanging around Vol---,” he glances at Andromeda and her frown, “Tom Riddle more.”

“Well, Andromeda and I have been dating in secret for the past year or so, and we are going to run off together so she will never have to be hurt.” Sirius casts a speculative glance over the two of them. Andromeda smiles tentatively at him, unsure of what to do. Ted seems to know how Sirius works so much better than she does.

“Do you love her?” Sirius’s grey eyes never leave Ted. “More than I can say,” Ted says. Sirius turns his gaze to Andromeda. “Do you love him?” She smiles, her face lighting up in a way Sirius has never seen. And he has seen her smile a lot, she was always the sunny one in the family. “Yes.” Her answer is simple, but Sirius believes her. He walks over and hugs her. “I’ll miss you when you are gone, but thank god you aren’t going to marry Evan.” She hugs him back, holding him close. “I’ll miss you too. I’ll make sure you can owl me, no matter what wards we set up.”

She glances up to see Ted watching them, a small smile on his face. She smiled back at him before returning her attention to Sirius. “Hey, buck up my lad. Think of all the fun you’ll get away with while they are all fuming over me!” She tousles his hair and he laughs and the mood breaks.

28.  
Andromeda runs her fingers over her dress. Ted’s mother had sent it as a surprise gift. It is pale pink and long and has ruffles, she normally hates ruffles, but she loves them today. “Something new,” Ted whispers in her ear. He takes her fingers and leads them to the bracelet on her left wrist, beautiful wrought silver that McGonagall lent her. “Something borrowed.” He brings her hands upwards to the pearl necklace she is wearing, a Black family heirloom. “Something old.” And lastly, he let’s her touch her earrings, blue topaz, and his gift to her. “Something blue.”

She smiles at him in the mirror. “Silly, it goes ‘something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.’ Not what you said.” But, she begins to laugh anyway. “It’s bad luck for you to see me before the ceremony. I was supposed to walk in with Sirius and you would be waiting with McGonagall!” Andromeda shakes her head. “See what you’ve done?”

“You’re going to be my wife in a few minutes. I’m the luckiest man in the world! Nothing can change that!” Ted says. He leans in and kisses her neck. “We are going to go to uni and you’ll be a successful teacher and change children’s lives, and I’ll be a businessman and bring in some cash, and we’ll have kids and a dog or three, and live happily ever after.”

“Speaking of kids…” Andromeda begins. “Remember how I said my family might try to hunt me down?” Ted nods. “If I’m… in the family way, so to speak, they won’t take me back.” She doesn’t make eye contact and twists her hands nervously together.

“Well, it’s February, thank god it is heated in here, with those short sleeves you’d be freezing, so we have time and Mum and Dad will have no problem baby-sitting while we’re in school, Mum is bored being retired so young.” He kisses her again. “We’ll make it work, Andromeda. I promise.”

Sirius pops in, excited in his too large suit borrowed off a friend. “Ted! Get out so I can walk your bride down the aisle and give her away.” He shoos him out. “You weren’t supposed to let him see you. Must I do everything around here?” He tuts, impersonating an old housewife so well, Andromeda can’t help but laugh. “Come along now dearie, it is your time!”

He escorts her into the registrar’s office. McGonagall is waiting there. She had dropped off the paperwork they needed fifteen days ago, getting it in on time. The registrar waits for a moment for more people to enter, until McGonagall clears her throat and says, “We aren’t waiting on anyone, sir.” The registrar nods, his bald head reflecting the room’s light briefly, and Andromeda and Ted and Sirius stifle laughs.

The registrar quickly goes through the welcome and the definition of marriage. Ted speaks first. “I, Theodore Tonks, take you, Andromeda Celeste Black, to be my lawful wedded wife, to have and hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.” His eyes are glistening with tears by the time he finishes speaking, and he quickly dashes them away with the back of his hand.

Andromeda takes a deep breath. “I, Andromeda Celeste Black, take you, Theodore Tonks, to be my lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part.” She is crying openly by the end of it, tears streaming down into her smile.

Sirius squawks, “A bride who cries on her wedding day will shed her last tears for the marriage!” Andromeda bursts into laughter as Ted leans in and kisses her. Through the kiss, she hears McGonagall reply to Sirius, “May it be so.”

29.  
Andromeda bites her lip as she waits for Ted to arrive. She can’t linger outside his House forever, she has A-levels and NEWTs to study for, and she has important news. A few minutes later, he rushes up, hair a mess, and sees her waiting. “Sorry I’m late, I was in the library.” He ushers her quickly into the Common Room. Andromeda can see he is in a rush, and hesitates. “Andromeda, what did you want to tell me?”

“Can we go into your room? And put up a silencing spell?” He nods, and briskly walks up the stairs to his dormitory. She follows him. It is big news, and he is busy, and maybe she should wait, but they are here and she might as well tell him. “Ted…”

“Yeah?” He is sitting on the bed next to her, his leg jumping. “Come on, it’s fine. I’m just stressed about exams and have been feeling frantic for hours now.”

“I’m pregnant.” His face lights up. “I… McGonagall ran the tests herself. And, the baby, I didn’t ask the sex, I thought we’d let that be a surprise, is a Metamorphmagus. She will be able to change her appearance at will, even as an infant. It’s great news. There hasn’t been one born for decades, it is generally assumed blood is getting too diluted with impure families for one to be born. But, what do we do?”

“Can’t we bespell her? Him? The baby? Just wave our wands so the baby looks like a mix between the two of us and when it is safe, tell the kid? I bet changing features all the time would really mess up self-identity.” He smiles at Andromeda and reaches over to shut her gaped mouth. “Hey, I study a little psychology in my nonexistent free time.”

“No, I know you’re smart. I just never thought to use magic to solve a problem brought about by magic. It would be easy enough to cast a glamor, and I bet I can find a spell that actually restricts her ability to change. Metamorphmagi used to be really common, like, half my ancestors were, so I am sure there is a spell. Actually… I think I know where too look.” Andromeda jumps up.

“Hey, Andromeda,” she turns to look at Ted. “I’m so happy you’re pregnant. I didn’t say that before.” He leans in and kisses her softly. “I can’t wait for our family to begin. A house full of kids, right? We’ll wait on the others until after school is done though.” He kisses her forehead. “I love you.”

She smiles up at him. “I love you too. Now, I have research to do!” He laughs and she leaves, smiling at him over her shoulder as she goes.

30.  
McGonagall smiles at Ted and Andromeda as they approach her outside the Headmaster’s office. “Hello, Mr. Tonks,” she glances around quickly, “Mrs. Tonks.” Ted and Andromeda can’t help but chuckle happily at her words. “And baby Tonks.” Andromeda cups her hand over her stomach. “Nearly ending your first trimester, how exciting. Did you have bad morning sickness?”

Andromeda shook her head, “No, thank god. I would never have been able to explain that away. Just some mild cravings.” She reaches out to Ted. “I hate to rush you, but can we go up. We are all packed,” she gestures to her purse, “an extension charm, and we have a long travel ahead of us.” 

“Sherbet lemons!” McGonagall announces, and the gargoyle jumps aside. Ted and Andromeda follow her up the stairs. “Please keep in touch with me, dears. I especially want baby pictures. You’ve been exceptional students, and I’d hate to lose touch simply because you are in the Muggle world. You can write me letters as a study break when you are in uni.”

“Minerva! You’ve brought me guests!” Dumbledore emerged from a room off to the side. “Mr. Tonks, Miss Black, a pleasure. What did Professor McGonagall bring you to me for, the day before graduation?” He sits down at his desk, picks up a candy, and pops it into his mouth. “Sherbet lemons, a delicious treat!”

“It’s Mrs. Tonks, Professor,” Andromeda remarks quietly, watching as he inhales sharply, nearly choking on his candy. She smirks at that. Dumbledore supposedly sees all at the school, but clearly they kept themselves secret enough. “And, well, Ted and I would like out diplomas early. We’ve eloped, you see, a few months ago, and now we need to make our getaway. You understand we won’t give you the details, of course.”

“Yes, yes, of course.” With a flourish of his wand, he produces two blank diplomas. He carefully writes out Theodore Tonks on one, signs it, and passes it to McGonagall. She produces a quill and signs it as well. “Mrs. Tonks, what is your legal full name?” His quill is poised to write.

“Andromeda Celeste Tonks. I’ve dropped my maiden name. I don’t think my family would enjoy me claiming it.” She says. Dumbledore nods in agreement and write her name just as carefully. He signs her diploma even more flamboyantly than Ted’s. She carefully tucks it into a folder and passes it to Ted. He slips his in, and then drops the folder into his bag. They both turn to McGonagall.

“Well, have a wonderful life. Keep in touch.” She turns away, but not fast enough that they can’t see the tears in her eyes. Andromeda leans in and hugs her. “Take care of Sirius for me, Professor. Keep him in line.” Ted shakes Dumbledore’s hand, and then they leave.

They walk out of the castle, hand in hand, ignoring the looks of the students out on the lawn. They walk down the carriage path, all the way to Hogsmeade, the sun shining bright. Finally, they smile at each other, and Apparate. They appear outside a house in London. “Ready to meet the family?” Ted asks. Andromeda smiles brightly at him, “Of course!”


End file.
